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THE 


FALLS 


OF 


NIAGARA: 

1 






BEING 






A COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL THE 


POINTS OF 


INTEREST 


AROUND AND IN 


THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE GREAT 


CATARACT. 


T. NELSON 


AND SONS, 42 BLEECKER 


STREET, 
AND SON. 


NEW YORK. 


TORONTO: JAMES 


CAMPBELL 





Contents. 






Introduction, 

Cast-iron Bridge over the Rapids, 
Prospect Park and Point View, 
Table Rock, 

The " Maid of the Mist," . . 
The Horse-Shoe Fall, 
Prospect House, 
The Three Sisters, . . 
The Burning Spring, 
The Museum, 
The American Falls, 
Niagara River below the Falls, 
Bath Island, 
Goat or Iris Island, 
Luna Island, 
The Centre Fall, 
Biddle's Stairs, 
Horse-Shoe Fall from below Goat Island, 
Cave of the Winds, . . 
Head of Goat Island, 
(17) 



Niagara in "Winter, . . . . . . . . . . 24 

Niagara by Moonlight, . . , , . , , . , , 25 

Legend of the White Canoe, .. ,. .. ..25 

Objects of Interest in the Neighbourhood of the Falls, . . 26 
The Niagara Suspension Bridge, . . . . . . . . 26 

New Suspension Bridge at Niagara Falls, . . . . 27 

The Elevator, 29 

Lund/s Lane Battle-ground, . . . . . . . . 30 

The Whirlpool Rapids 31 

The Whirlpool 31 

The DevU's Hole, 31 

Brock's Monument, .. .. .. .. ..32 

Queenston, .. .. .. .... .. ..S3 

Lewiston, .. .. .. .. .. .. ..33 

Niagara Town, .. .. .. .. .. .. 33 

Niagara River above the Falls, .. .. .. ..33 

The Islands, ^ 34 



' Geology of Niagara, 






FALLS OF NIAGARA, 



INTRODUCTION. 



THiS Falls of Niagara may justly be classed among the 
wonders of the world. They are the pride of America, 
and their grandeur, magnitude, and magnificence are well 
known to all the civilized world. Ever since the dis- 
covery of this wonderful cataract, millions have flocked 
thither from all countries, to gaze with feelings of the 
deepest solemnity on the tumultuous fall of waters, and 
to adore the power and majesty of the Almighty as these 
are exhibited and realized amid the sublime scenery of 
this stupendous waterfall. 

In the following pages we shall attempt to guide the 
traveller to the various points whence the finest views of 
the Falls may be obtained and thereafter conduct him 
to the spots of peculiar interest in their neighbourhood. 
(17) 



The great lakes of North America— Superior, Michi- 
gan, Huron, and Erie — pour the flood of their accumu- 
lated waters into Lake Ontario through a channel of 
about 36 miles in length. This channel is named the 
Niagara Eiver, and is part of the boundary between 
Canada and the State of New York. Twenty-two miles 
below its commencement at Lake Erie occur the famous 
Falls of Niagara. These Falls are divided into two by 
Iris or Goat Island. The American Falls are 900 feet 
wide, by 164 feet high. The Horse-Shoe or Canadian 
Fall is 2000 feet wide, and 158 feet high. The origin of 
the name is uncertain, but it is supposed to be of Iroquois 
extraction, and to signify the " Thunder of Waters." 
The roar of the Falls is sometimes heard at a great dis- 



4 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



tance, but of course it is constantly modified by the direc- 
tion and strength of the wind. Over this magnificent 
precipice the irresistible tide rushes at the rate of 100 
million tons of water every hour ! It is computed that 
the precipice is worn away by the friction of the water at 
the rate of about one foot a year; and it is believed that 
the Falls have gradually receded from Queenston, seven 
miles below, to their present position. The river above 
the Falls is studded with islands of all sizes, amounting 
to 37 in number. The width of the stream varies from 
several hundred yards to three miles. At the Falls it is 
about three-quarters of a mile wide. The total descent from 
Lake Erie to Ontario is 334 feet. So much for statistics. 

The Falls of Niagara were first seen by a white man 
nearly two hundred years ago. Father Hennepin, a 
French Jesuit missionary, first saw them when on an 
expedition of discovery in the year 1678. 

The spots of interest to be visited, besides the great 
Fall itself, are:— The ground where the memorable 
Battle of Lundy's Lane was fought; the Whirlpool 
below the Falls ; the Suspension Bridges ; the Devil's 
Hole and the Bloody Run; the Queenston Heights, 
General Brock's Monument, Burning Spring, &c. 
(17) 



We think it right to say that the Illustrations with 
which our work is embellished may be depended ou as 
being minutely correct, the most of them having been 
copied from photographs, and others taken from drawings 
made on the spot by Washington Friend, Esq., whose 
beautiful and cleverly-executed Panorama of American 
Scenery is so well known to the public. 



Let us suppose, then, reader, that yon have reached 
the Falls on the American side ; that you have just 
alighted from the train in the Village of the Falls, and 
the thunder of Niagara is sounding in your ears. It 
were superfluous to give you minute directions how to 
proceed. . Follow the crowd, and you cannot go wrong. 

The Village of the Falls, through which you pass, lies 
on the east side of the river, in the immediate vicinity of 
the grand cataract, 22 miles by rail from the city of 
BuflFalo on Lake Erie, and 300 by rail from Albany. 
Being a fashionable place of resort during summer and 
autumn, the Hotels at this village are excellent in all re- 
spects, and most agreeable abodes for those who intend 
to sojourn for a time within sound of the Falls. The 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



chief of them are the Cataract House, the International 
Hotel, Spencer House (opposite Dep6t) ; three magnificent 
houses, in which every comfort is combined with elegance. 
The Cataract House is situated at the head of Main 
Street, overlooking the American Rapids. From the 
parlours of this famous hotel, one of which is 40 feet by 
60, with a 22 feet ceiling, a fine view is had of the 
Rapids, Goat Island, the Bridge, and the Canada shores, 
considered among the principal features of Niagara. 
Conveyances may be had from any of the above hotels to 
all parts of Niagara. But we are too near the Falls to 
linger here. Pushing forward down the street leading 
past the hotels just mentioned, we come into full view of 
the river at the point where it is spanned by the 

CAST-IRON BRIDGE OVER THE RAPIDS. 
Here the first perceptions of power and grandeur begin 
to awaken in our minds. The noble river is seen hurry- 
ing on towards its final leap ; and as we stand upon the 
bridge, looking down upon the gushing flood of wator, that 
seems as if it would sweep away our frail standing- 
ground and hurl us over the dread precipice whose 
rounded edge is but a few yards further down, we begin, 
(17) 



though feebly as yet, to realize the immensity of this far- 
famed cataract. This is the finest point of view from 
which to observe the Rapids above the Falls. The fall of 
the river from the head of the rapids (a mile above the 
Falls) to the edge of the precipice is nearly 60 feet; 
and the tumultuous madness of the waters, hurling and 
foaming in wayward billows and breakers down this de- 
scent, as if fretting with impatience, is a fine contrast to 
the uniform magnificent sweep with which at length they 
gush into the thundering flood below. 

At the other end of the bridge, as seen in our Il- 
lustration, is Bath Island, connected with Iris or Ooai 
Island by another bridge ; and beyond Goat Island there 
are a few scattered rocks, which are connected with it by 
means of a third bridge. These rocks lie on the very 
brink of the precipice, which commands a magnificent 
view of Niagara. But there are finer points of view than 
this. Moreover, we shall afterwards have to conduct 
our reader to various points of great interest on and 
around these islands, which, howevei', no one will feel 
disposed to visit until he has given his undivided atten- 
tion to the wonderful Falls from the most striking points 
of view. We therefore recommend him not to cross over 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



to Goat Island in the first instance, but, after having 
stood upon the bridge over the rapids above described, 
retrace his steps and hasten down the banks of the river 
a few hundred yards, to a place named Prospect Park. 

Before proceeding thither, however, we may say a word 
or two in reference to the bridge we are about to leave. 
The elegant and substantial structure that now spans the 
river at this point, was erected by the Messrs. Porter, 
the proprietors of Goat Island. It is made of iron, on 
the plan of Whipple's iron-arched bridge, and is 360 feet 
long, having 4 arches of 90 feet span each. The width 
is 27 feet, embracing a double carriage-way of 16i feet, 
and two foot-paths of 5^ feet each, with iron railings. 
All the materials used in its construction are of the best 
quality, and the strength of all the parts is much beyond 
what is considered necessary. 

Visitors may cross and recross this bridge as often as 
they wish for 50 cents per day, or for one dollar for the 
whole season. 

The first bridge that was thrown over these turbulent 

waters was constructed at the head of Goat Island in 

1817. It was carried away by ice in the following spring, 

and was succeeded by another, which was built in 1818, 

(17) 



on the site of the present structure. The difficulties at- 
tending its consti'uction were overcome iq, the following 
manner : — A massive abutment of timber was built at 
the water's edge, from which were projected enormously 
long and heavy beams of timber. These beams were 
secured on the land side by heavy loads of stone, and 
their outer ends were rendered steady by means of stilts 
or legs let down from them and thrust into the bottom 
of the river. A platform was thrown over the projec- 
tion, along which heavy masses of stone were carried and 
dropped into the river. This operation was continued 
until the heap appeared above water, and then a strong 
framework of timber, filled solidly with stone, was built 
upon it. To this pier the first permanent portion of the 
bridge was fixed; and then, commencing from the ex- 
tremity, beams were run out and a second pier similarly 
formed ; and so on till the bridge was completed. It was 
built by the Messrs. Porter— extensive proprietors in this 
neighbourhood — and was repaired in 1839, and again in 
1849. 

In the former year one of the workmen, named Chapin, 
fell from the bridge into the river. Fortunately the cur- 
rent carried him to the first of the two small islets below. 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



He was rescued from his perilous position by Mr. J. K. 
Robinson, who has more than once bravely rescued fellow- 
creatures from this dangerous river ; and the island was 
therefore named Chapin Island. 

In J uly 1853 another accident occurred near this point. 
Two Germans took a boat, and set out for a pleasure sail 
on the river above the Falls, Nothing more was heard 
of them until next morning, when one of them, named 
Joseph Avery, was observed clinging to a log sticking in 
the midst of the rapids, near the bridge between Bath 
Island and the mainland. Thousands of people assembled 
to render the poor man assistance, and during the day 
various attempts were made to rescue him from his peril- 
ous position, but without success. At length a boat was 
lowered down the rapids toward the log to which he 
clung. It neared him, and he attempted to spring 
towards it; but his strength was gone, and he fell into 
the stream. In another moment he was swept over the 
Falls. His body was never found. 

A similar accident occurred on the 4th of July 1873. 

A gentleman, with a lady and her brother, a lad of 

twelve, arrived at Chippewa, and after stopping a few 

hours, asked to hire a boat in which to take a sail. 

(17) 



Knowing them to be strangers, the proprietor at first 
refused; but upon their promising to keep in the creek, 
and not to venture on the river, he complied. They 
went out, and after sailing round some little time, 
arrived back in .safety. The following morning the 
gentleman obtained a marriage license for himself and 
lady ; which seemed to be their object in visiting the 
place. In the afternoon they again took the boat, and 
becoming more bold, they ventured into the river; but 
no sooner had they done so than the treacherous current 
carried them down the river and over the Falls. Some 
days after the body of the lady was found, as was also 
that of the boy. The boy had told some one previously 
that the man was from Toronto, and that he and his 
sister belonged to Zanesville, Ohio. A gentleman from 
the latter place made inquiries of the coroner, and stated 
that the lady was his daughter. Nothing further was 
done in the matter, and the bodies are still interred near 
the Falls. That of the man was never found. 

On the 24th of September 1874, Mr. Conroy, one of 
the guides at the Cave of the Winds, discovered the body 
of a woman on the river- bank, at the foot of the bluff near 
Barnettz Museum. To all appearances she had been in- 



8 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



staatly killed, as both her limbs were broken, and the body 
was otherwise mutilated. It was afterwards discovered 
that her name was Mary Buckholtz, and that she had 
worked for a family named Martin in Hamilton. She 
had evidently committed suicide, as she had previously 
issued a draft in favour of her sister for all the money 
she was possessed of. It was a sad finale to the old 
story of love and desertion. 

Mrs. Margaret Avery, wife of P. M. Avery of Chicago, 
arrived here on Saturday evening, November 19, 1870 : 
she put up at the Spencer House, registering her name as 
Mrs. Hill of Chicago. After breakfast in the morning, 
she walked down to the bridge leading to Goat Island. 
Although the weather was raw and cold, she remained 
there two hours or more. This attracted attention, but 
no one thought of suicide until she was seen to climb 
the railing. A lady passing called the gate-keeper's atten- 
tion to her; but before he could reach her she dropped 
into the rapids, and was carried over the Falls. It was 
supposed that she had become deranged through sick- 
ness. 

On the 8th of December 1869, a man named James 
Pierce committed suicide by jumping off the old Suspen- 
(17) 



sion Bridge, a height of over 250 feet. He was a resi- 
dent of this place. His body was never found. 

PROSPECT PARK AND POINT VIEW, 

In order to reach Point View and the numerous objects 
of interest in its vicinity, the visitor must pass through 
the gateway of Prospect Park (admission fee, 25 cents). 
The Park consists of eight acres of wooded land skirting 
the river-bank for some distance above and below the 
American Fall. It has been beautifully laid out, in 
lawn and flower-plots, and with tasteful walks through 
the grove and along the river-bank. The bank in the 
immediate vicinity of the Fall has been built up with 
solid masonry, a low wall protecting the brink, so that 
one can measure in perfect safety the dizzy depths of the 
precipice on the verge of which he stands. This artificial 
parapet of stone is projected to the very edge of the cata- 
ract, and thus the visitor is enabled to stand with its 
nearest waters breaking beneath his feet, while at one 
sweeping view his eye commands the whole magnificent 
arc of the Falls of Niagara. From the wall over which 
he leans the superb double curve of the American Fall 
stretches away to Luna Island, a distance of 660 feet. 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



Between Luua and Goat Island glistens a smaller fall, 
100 feet wide. Beyond the wooded and picturesque head- 
land of the latter island begins the vast semicircle of the 
Horse-Shoe Fall, which is seen in its entire sweep from 
the American to the Canadian shore. Between, and as if 
in the grasp of the two great cataracts, Goat Island 
seems to hang precariously above the abyss. The scene 
is certainly one of the grandest of terrestrial nature. The 
vivid hues of the waters, as they glide towards and bend 
in an unbroken sheet over the brink, contrast with the 
whiteness of the surging mists into which they plunge. 
The ceaseless and stupendous movement of the descend- 
ing deluge, far and wide — 

" As if the vast and sheeted sky 
In thunder fell from heaven" — 

the huge rising clouds of spray — the deafening roar that 
issues from the boiling depths,— all combine at first to 
bewilder and confound the visitor. Only after long gazing, 
is the mind able to realize that it confronts a picture the 
conjoined beauty and sublimity of which can never be 
wholly grasped. 

Turning from the Falls, the visitor nnds himself in 
(17) 



front of a neat edifice occupied as a photographing estab- 
lishment. Here thousands of tourists annually are pho- 
tographed, the immense amphitheatre of the twin cata- 
racts forming the inimitable background of each picture. 
A few steps along the bank of the precipice bring us to 
the station of the Inclined Railway, the bed of which has 
been cut in the face of the cliif. The perpendicular 
height of the bank at this point is 180 feet, and the 
length of the hypotenuse on which the railway track is 
laid is 340 feet. A flight of 264 steps slopes beside the 
track from the summit to the river's edge. The two 
commodious and comfortable cars which descend and 
ascend simultaneously on this railway are propelled by 
water-power, and securely worked on a large cable. The 
upper brow of the cliff is pierced by a tunnel, through 
which the car easily descends, emerging into a covered 
way, through the open sides of which fine views may be 
obtained. 

Arrived at the water's edge, the visitor may take the 
ferry-boat to the Canadian shore, a voyage of some ten 
jiinutes' duration, or explore the paths which lead over 
and around the immense rock-masses before him to the 
foot of the American Falls. The Prospect Park Com- 



10 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



pany will shortly place on the river at this point a fine 
steam yacht, on which excursions may be made in the 
basin of foam-covered waters extending from the base of 
the Falls. This was formerly done on the little steamer, 
Maid of the Mist; and no description can give an idea of 
the grandeur of the views of the cataract thus obtained. 
That the tourist may not be deterred by the angry look 
of the river from venturing on its surface, it may be 
stated that for the past sixty years a ferry has been 
maintained at this place, and to this day no accident has 
ever occurred. 

The recent discovery of a footway by which the visitor 
can be conducted under the torrent of the American Fall 
on the Point View side, adds another notable feature to 
the attractions of Prospect Park. It is the intention of 
the Company to build at once a secure cribway, six feet 
wide, with an iron hand-railing, to extend under the 
sheet as far as possible. It is believed that this can 
eventually be pushed to the length of about 100 feet. 
Commodious dressing-rooms will also be erected at the 
edge of the river near the railway. 

At no point can better views, or a more astounding 
conception of the majesty of the cataract, be enjoyed, than 
(17) 



from the huge rock-masses which lie piled in chaotic dis- 
order about the foot of the American Fall. The mountain 
of descending waters, 164 feet in height, impends almost 
directly above the spectator ; the boiling abyss is close at 
his feet. A breath of wind will sometimes suddenly turn 
upon him a blinding shower of spray, through the retreat- 
ing fringe of which, if the sun be shining, he may catch a 
near view of the iris, — not, as elsewhere, a prismatic arc 
merely, but an almost perfect circle of dazzling radiance. 

Charles Dickens, writing of this scene {which has been 
greatly extended and made much more accessible since 
his day), says : — " The bank is very steep, and was slip- 
pery with rain and half-melted ice. I hardly know how 
I got down, but I was soon at the bottom, and climbing, 
with two English officers, who were crossing and had 
joined me, over some broken rocks, deafened by the 
noise, half-blinded by the spray, and wet to the skin, we 
were at the foot of the American Fall. I could see an 
immense torrent of water tearing headlong down from 
some great height, but had no idea of shape or situation, 
or anything but vague immensity." 

A whole day, or much more, may be profitably spent 
in this "under world" of Niagara, the outline of which 



FALLS OP NIAGARA. 



11 



has been thus briefly sketched. To be thoroughly over- 
powered, appalled, and dumbfounded by the grandeur 
of Niagara, the visitor must see it from beneath, and 
especially as it appears from the river-basin at its 
foot. 

Within the inclosure of Prospect Park a neat and com- 
modious public hall has been erected, for concerts, thea- 
trical representations, the shelter of picnic parties, &c. 
The Company propose to enlarge the area of the Park, 
and to introduce running streams, witb fountains, for 
the further embellishment of the grounds. 

Seating ourselves in the ferry-boat, we are soon danc- 
ing on the agitated waters, and gazing in profound silence 
and admiration at the Falls, which from this point of 
view are seen to great advantage. A few minutes, and 
we are standing on the soil of Canada. Here carriages 
are ready to convey us to Table Rock, little more than a 
mile distant. Clifton House, not far from the landing, 
and several other objects of interest, claim our attention ; 
but we are too full of the Great Cataract just now to turn 
aside, and as we shall pass this way again in descending 
the river, we will hasten on to behold the sublime view 
of Niagara from Table Rock. 
117) 



TABLE ROCK. 

In alluding to this view, Charles Dickens says :— 
" It was not till I came on Table Rock, and looked on 
the fall of bright green water, that it came upon me 
in its full might and majesty. The Niagara was for 
ever stamped upon my heart, an image of beauty, to 
remain there, changeless and indelible, until its pulses 
cease to beat for ever. 

" Oh, how the strife and trouble of daily life receded 
from my view and lessened in the distance, during the 
ten memorable days we passed on that enchanted gi'ound ! 
What voices spoke from out the thundering water 1 what 
faces, faded from the earth, looked out upon me from its 
gleaming depths! what heavenly promise glistened in 
those angels' tears, the drops of many hues, that showered 
around, and twined themselves about the gorgeous arches 
which the changing rainbows made ! ... To wander to 
and fro all day, and see the cataract from all points of 
view; to stand upon the edge of the great Horse-Shoe 
Fall, marking the hurried water gathering strength as it 
approached the verge, yet seeming, too, to pause before 
it shot into the gulf below; to gaze from the river's level 



12 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



up at the torrent as it came streaming down ; to climb 
the neighbouring heights and watch it through the trees, 
and see the wreathing water in the rapids hurrying on to 
take its fearful plunge ; to linger in the shadow of the 
solemn rocks three miles below, watching the river as, 
stirred by no visible cause, it heaved and eddied, and 
awoke the echoes, being troubled yet, far down beneath 
the surface, by its giant leap; to have Niagara before 
me, lighted by the sun and by the moon, red in the day's 
decline and gray as evening slowly fell upon it ; to look 
upon it every day, and wake up in the night and hear its 
ceaseless voice: this was enough. 

" I think in every quiet season now, Still do those 
waters roll and leap, and roar and tumble, all day long ; 
still are the rainbows spanning them a hundred feet be- 
low; still, when the sun is on them, do they shine and 
glow like molten gold ; still, when the day is gloomy, do 
they fall like snow, or seem to crumble away like the 
front of a great chalk cliff, or roll down the rock like 
dense white smoke. But always does the mighty stream 
appear to die as it comes down, and always from its un- 
fathomable grave arises that tremendous ghost of spray 
and mist which is never laid; which has haunted this 

(n) 



place with the same dread solemnity since darkness 
brooded on the deep, and that first flood before the 
Deluge— light — came rushing on creation at the word of 
God." 

But no words, however appropriate, no combination 
of ideas, however felicitous, can do justice to Niagara ; 
and those who are wending their way thither will need 
no description : yet it is satisfactory to know the feelings 
and thoughts of those who have gone before us. 

On the 19th of September 1874, a gentleman hired a 
carriage and was driven to this point. After alighting, 
he made some inquiries concerning the Falls, and handing 
the driver his fare, and two letters which he requested 
him to mail, started for the water. Before he could be 
prevented, he entered the rapids, and seeming to walk 
out delibei-ately for a given distance, gave himself up to 
the current, and was seen no more. One of the letters 
was addressed to a banker in Toronto, and the other to 
Robert Salmond of the same place, — which afterwards 
proved to be himself. The body was never found, nor 
could any cause be ascertained for this rash act. 

Table Rock is no longer the extensive platform that it 
once was, — large portions of it having fallen from time 



J- ALLS OF NIAGARA, 



13 



to time. It overhangs the terrible caldron close to the 
Horse-Shoe Fall, and the view from it, as already described, 
is most sublime. In 1818, a mass of 160 feet long and 40 
feet wide broke off and fell into the boiling flood; and in 
1 828 three immense masses fell, with a shock like an earth- 
quake. Again, in 1829, another fragment fell; and in 
1850, a portion of about 200 feet in length and 100 feet 
thick. On one of those occasions, some forty or fifty per- 
sons had been standing on the rock a few minutes before 
it fell ! The work of demolition still goes on, for another 
portion of Table Rock fell in 1S57. In 1867, a large 
crack or seam having formed around it near the road, it 
was deemed unsafe, and the Canadian Government caused 
it to be blasted away ; and now all that remains of the 
once famous Table Rock is a huge mass of rock at the 
edge of the river below the bank. 

THE " WIAID OF THE MIST." 

At one time a little steamer was wont to start from the 
landing, close to the Suspension Bridge, two miles below 
Niagara, and, ascending the river, passed the American 
Fall, and penetrated boldly into the dense cloud of 
mist close to the foot of the Horse-Shoe Fall. The spec- 
(17) 



tator standing on the verge of Table Rock, and looking 
down, might then have seen the little steamer buffeting 
with the stormy waters. So completely was she enveloped 
in the mist, that waterproof garments were provided for 
those who chose to remain on her deck. The steamer 
was built expressly for this brief voyage, being an excel- 
lent boat of 170 tons burden, with an engine of above 100 
horse-power. 

The owners of this little steamer having found her an 
unprofitable speculation, she was sold to a Montreal firm, 
with the condition that she should be safely navigated 
through the rapids and the whirlpool. This danger- 
ous experiment was undertaken by J. R. Robinson, 
with but two assistants. The danger was considered 
so great, that the brave men who undertook it could not 
get any office to insure their lives for a cent. It was, 
however, accomplished in safety, with no other injury to 
the vessel than the falling of her funnel on the deck, 
which occurred just before entering the whirlpool, at the 
river's narrowest point, where it is estimated that the 
torrent rushes at a speed of twenty-five miles an hour. 
It was a wonderful feat of navigation, and created intense 
excitement for miles around. 



14 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



THE HORSE-SHOE FALL. 

The view here is awfully grand. As we gaze upwards 
at the frowning cliff that seems tottering to its fall, and 
pass under the thick curtain of water— so near that it 
seems as if we could touch it— and hear the hissing 
ispray, and are stunned by the deafening roar that issues 
from the misty vortex at our feet, an indescribable feel- 
ing of awe steals over us, and we are more than ever im- 
pressed with the tremendous magnificence of Niagara. 
Behind our narrow footpath the precipice of the Horse- 
Shoe Fall rises perpendicularly to a height of 90 feet ; at 
our feet the cliff descends about 70 feet into a tur- 
moil of bursting foam ; in front is the liquid curtain 
which, though ever passing onward, never unveils this 
wildest of Nature's caverns. 

We do not run much danger in going under the Falls 
if we are moderately careful; and hundreds of ladies do 
so every year. But accidents have happened more than 
once to reckless travellers. To the nervous and the timid 
we would say, Go under the Falls, by all means, and fear 
not. To the daring and the bold we would say, Go, but 
htware. 
(17) 



At the same time it is right to mention that portions 
of Table Rock are still expected to fall every year, so 
that those who go under the Falls must run the risk of 
this. 

The volume of water that gushes over the Horse-Shoe 
Fall is enormous. It is estimated that the sheet is fully 
20 feet thick in the centre ; an estimate which was corro- 
borated in a singular manner in 1829. A ship named 
the Betroit, having been condemned, was bought and 
sent over the Falls. On board were put a live bear, a 
deer, a buffalo, and several smaller animals. The vessel 
was almost knocked to pieces in the rapids, but a large 
portion of her hull went over entire. She drew eighteen 
feet of water, but did not strike the cliff as she took the 
awful plunge. 

PROSPECT HOUSE 
stands in the rear of Table Rock. The view from the 
summit of this building is magnificent. 

A few hundred yards above Prospect House there is a 
point from which we obtain a fine view of the rapids, and 
the islands named 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



15 



THE THREE SISTERS. 

They are seen in the distance lying close together at 
the head of Goat Island. These hitherto inaccessible 
islands are now connected by substantial foot-bridges, 
from which the grandest view of the rapids is to be ob- 
tained. 

From one of these Sisters a gentleman named Allen 
was rescued by the gallant Mr. J. R. Robinson, in the 
summer of 1841. Mr. Allen had started alone in his 
boat for the village of Chippewa, and in the middle of the 
■ river broke one of his oars. Being unable to gain the 
shore, he endeavoured with the remaining oar to steer for 
the head of Goat Island, but the rapid current swept him 
past this point. As he approached the outer island of 
the Three Sisters, he steered toward it with the energy 
of despair, and leaped ashore, while his boat sprang 
like a lightning flash down the rapid and over the Horse- 
Shoe Fall. For two days Mr. Allen remained on the 
island, and then, fortunately, succeeded in making a fire 
with some matches he happened to have in his pocket. 
Crowds of people assembled to assist in and witness the 
i-escue, which was accomplished by Robinson, who, hav- 
(17) 



ing managed to pass a rope from island to island, reached 
him with a skiff. 

Another narrow escape was made here by a father 
and son in the year 1850. The son, a boy of ten years 
of age, was paddling his father — who was drunk at 
the time— over to their home on Grand Island. The 
father was unable to guide the frail canoe, which was 
carried into the rapids, and descended with fearful 
rapidity towards the Falls. The wretched father could do 
nothing to save himself; but the gallant boy struggled 
with the energy of a hero, and succeeded in forcing the 
canoe between Goat Island and the Three Sisters. Here 
they were in imminent danger of passing over the little 
cascade between these islands; but, providentially, as 
they neared it a wave upset the canoe, and left them 
struggling in the water. The place was shallow, the 
boy gained a footing, and seizing his father by 
the collar, dragged him to the shore, where hundreds 
of anxious spectators received them with shouts of joy. 

On the 1st of June 1874, a Mr. William M'Cullongh, 
well known in Niagara, was painting the bridge between 
the first and second Sister Islands, from a platform sus- 
pended to it, when, missing his footing, he fell headlon? 



16 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



into the seething rapids below. In looking at the place, 
one would imagine it impossible not to go over the brink; 
yet, of the many battling currents of which the river is 
made, there was one which, seizing the helpless man in 
its embrace, bore him to a place of momentary safety. 
He had been driven upon a small rock, and in the 
strength of despair succeeded in climbing on it. Two 
men who had witnessed the occurrence immediately spread 
the alarm, and soon an excited crowd was gathered along 
the shore. One man, Thomas Conroy by name (whom 
we have already mentioned), proved himself equal to 
the emergency, and at once set about a plan of rescue. 
At first he tried to wade directly out, but finding the 
current too strong, took a more angular direction, and at 
last succeeded in reaching him. Fastening a rope which 
he had brought from the shore round the waist of the 
now exhausted man, and taking him up in his arms, he 
waded carefully and successfully to the shore. Although 
greatly prostrated, Mr. M'Cullough was able to resume 
his work the next day. Of course, Conroy is now the 
" hero " of the Falls, 

Gull Island is a small island just above the Horse- 
Shoe Fall. It has never been trodden by man. 
(17) 



About two miles higher up the river is 

THE BURNING SPRING. 

This curious spring is very interesting. The water, 
being charged with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, takes fire 
when a light is applied to it, and burns with a pale bluish 
flame. 

The Battle of Chippeiva was fought in this neighbour- 
hood, on the 5th of July 1814. 

In order to gratify the visitor's natural desire to see 
Niagara from the most striking points of view, we have 
hurried him somewhat abruptly to the Canada side. We 
will now retrace our steps to the Ferry, and crossing over, 
visit Goat Island and its neighbourhood. 

The first object that claims our attention as we return 
down the left bank of the river is 

THE MUSEUM, 

which stands at the top of the bank near to Table Rock, 
and is well worth visiting. It is arranged so as to repre- 
sent a forest scene, and contains a fine collection of birds, 
beasts, and fishes, besides a camera-obscura. Charge for 
admission, 25 ceuts. 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



17 



A short distance below this house a terrible accident 
occurred in 1844. A lady named Miss Martha K. 
Rugg fell over the bank, and descending a depth of 115 
feet, was dashed on the sharp rocks below. She was 
alive when picked.up, but expired a few hours afterwards. 

Our Illustration of 

THE AMERICAN FALLS 
exhibits the view as seen from the Canaltlian side directly 
opposite. Behind the Falls are seen the splendid Ameri- 
can hotels, the Cataract. House, the International, &c., 
with the woods extending towards Prospect Park. On 
the right are the Centre Fall, and the wooden stairs lead- 
ing to the Cave of the Winds. 
From this position we have also a fine prospect of 

NIAGARA RIVER BELOW THE FALLS. 

Our Illustration, taken from a Photograph, gives an 
excellent and correct representation of tliis view. The 
swollen and agitated stream hurries onward, after its 
mighty leap, between steep cliffs, clothed on the sum- 
mit with wood. On the left of the picture we see the 
road winding along the top of the bank towards the 
(17) 



splendid hotel named Clifton House; groups of pilgrims 
to the shrine of the mighty Cataract of the West enliven 
the scene ; and perchance the ferry-boat shoots out from 
its moorings as we pass, and dances like a cork upon the 
troubled waters. 

A walk of about half an hour along the bank of the 
river brings us to Clifton House; a magnificent hotel, in 
the immediate vicinity of which is the ground where the 
Battle of Lundy's Lane was fought. It occupies a com- 
manding position on the top of the bank, at a short dis- 
tance from the Ferry landing-place. The view of the 
American and Horse-Shoe Falls from this hotel is ex- 
ceedingly fine, and tlie accommodation is excellent. The 
gardens around it are a great improvement, and it has 
concert-rooms and large public saloons. The Erie and 
Ontario Kailroad, wliich passes close to it, connects at 
Chippewa, a village about three miles up the river, with 
the steamer to Buffalo, and runs down the river to the 
village of Niagara, at its mouth, whence the Lake On- 
tario steamers convey passengers to the iliver St. Law- 
rence. 

Having thus cast a rapid glance at the salient points 
on the Canada side, we may either continue our walk for 



18 



FALLS OF KIAGARA. 



a mile further, to the Suspension Bridge, or recross the 
Ferry to inspect the Falls more narrowly. Choosing the 
latter course, we cross in the boat, reascend the In- 
clined Railway, hurry through the Park, and cross the 
bridge to 

BATH ISLAND. 

Here was a bathing establishment, but it is not now 
in operation. The largest paper-mill in the United 
States is on this island. It belongs to L. C. Woodruff, 
of Buffalo. A little higher up are two smaller islets, 
named Ship and Srig Islands. The former is also 
named Lover^s Retreat, and was connected with Bath 
Island by a slender bridge, which was washed away by 
ice and high water. Looking down the river, we see 
several small islets, most of which are more or less con- 
nected with thrilling incidents of danger, escape, or death ; 
for graphic details of which we refer the traveller to the 
guides, who are learned in local tradition. 

Crossing the bridge at the other end of Bath Island, we 
reach 

GOAT OR IRIS ISLAND. 

This island is half a mile long by a quarter broad, 
and contains about 70 acres. It divides the Fall, is 330 
(17) 



yards wide, and is heavily wooded. In 1770, a man of 
the name of Stedman placed some goats here to pasture, 
hence the name. Its other name. Iris, is derived from 
the number of beautiful rainbows that are so frequently 
seen near it. It is the property of the Porter family; 
and to them the public are indebted for the facilities 
which are afforded them in visiting the Falls. Goat 
Island was visited long before the bridges were con- 
structed, but the visitors were not numerous, the risk 
being very great. The dates 1771, 1772, 1779, under the 
names of several strangers, were found cut in a beech- 
tree near the Horse-Shoe Fall. 

Three paths diverge from the house on your left : the 
one to the left leads to the head of the island ; the centre 
road cuts right across it ; and that on the right conducts 
to the Falls. Let us follow the last-mentioned through 
the trees that line the margin of the rapids. In a few 
minutes we reach a spot named Hog's Back, from which 
we have a good view of the Central and American Falls, 
and the river below, rushing on as if in exultation after 
its terrific leap. Dr. Hungerford of West Troy was 
killed just under this point in 1839, by the falling of a 
portion of the cliff. 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



19 



Three Profiles, formed by the Falls in this neighbour- 
hood, are pointed out, but they exist chiefly in the ima- 
gination ! 

That small island to our right, on the verge of the 
Falls, is 

LUNA ISLAND; 
so called because it is the best point from which to view 
the beautiful lunar bow. A narrow bridge connects 
this island with Goat Island. 

The lunar bow is only seen for a short time in the 
month, when the moon is full and sufficiently high in 
the heavens. 

The solar bow is always visible when the sun shines 
on the Falls. 

It is said by some that Luna Island trembles ; which 
is not improbable. 

A very melancholy accident occurred at the northern 
extremity of this island in the year 1849. The family of 
Mr. Deforest of Buffalo visited the Falls on the 21st 
June of that year, along with a young man named Charles 
Addington. They were about to leave this island, when 
Mr. Addington playfully seized Annette, the little 
daughter of Mr. Deforest, in his arms, and held her 
(17) 



over the edge of the bank, exclaiming, "I am going to 
throw you in." A sudden impulse of fear caused the 
child to bound from his grasp, and fall into the rushing 
stream. With a loud cry of horror the young man sprang 
in to save her, and ere the stricken parents could utter 
a cry they both went over the Fall ! The next day the 
mangled remains of the child were discovei-ed in the Cave 
of the Winds, but Addington's body was not found for 
several days afterwards. 

THE CENTRE FALL, 
over which we pass in our return to Goat Island, although 
a mere ribbon of white water when seen from a short dis- 
tance in contrast with the Great Falls, is by no means un- 
worthy of notice. It is 100 feet wide, and is a very graceful 
sheet of water. Proceeding along the road a short dis- 
tance, we come to 

BIDDLE'S STAIRS. 

These were erected in 1829 by Mr. Biddle, president of 
the United States Bank, for the purpose of enabling 
visitors to descend the perpendicular precipice. The 
stairs are firmly secured to the cliff, and are said to be 



20 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



quite safe. They are 80 feet high. The total descent 
from the top of the bank to the bottom is 185 feet. 

Between this point and the Centre Fnli is the spot 
where the celebrated Sara Patch made his famous leaps. 
Sara made two leaps in 1829. A long ladder was placed 
at the foot of the rock, and fastened with ropes in such 
a manner that the top projected over the water. A plat- 
form was then laid from the top of the ladder to^ the 
edge of the bank above. Hundreds of thousands of 
spectators crowded every point within sight of the place 
oo both shores, eager to behold the extraordinary spec- 
tacle of a man "jumping over the Falls." Sam walked 
along the giddy platform, made his bov/, and went down, 
feet first, 97 feet into the river. 

Not content with this achievement, Sam Patch after- 
wards made a higher leap at the Uenesee Fulls. Again, 
at the same place, he made another jump, from the 
hei^yht of 125 feet ! That was his last. The poor fellow 
never rose again, and his body has never been found. 

It is frequently asked by visitors where the intrepid 

Blondin crossed the river on his rope. In 1859 his rope 

was stretched from bank to bank, about one mile below 

the Falls. The length of rope at this place was about 

(17) 



1200 feet. In 1860 he removed his rope to a point about 
200 feet below the Old Suspension Bridge. The width 
here was 900 feet. It was at this point he performed 
his wonderful feats before the Prince of Wales. Since 
then four persons — Favini, Harry Leslie, Ballini, and 
Pierre — have performed similar feats. 

Before descending Biddle's Stairs, let us pass on until 
we reach the extremity of tiie island, and cross the bridge 
to the site of Terrapin Tower,* a singular and awful posi- 
tion. A few scattered masses of rock lie on the very 
brink of the Great Fall, seeming as if unable to maintain 
their position against the tremendous rush of water. 
Here we obtain the most magnificent view that can be 
conceived : the rapids above rolling tuinultuously towards 
you — the green water of the mighty Falls at your feet — 
below you the hissing caldron of spray, and the river with 
its steep banks beyond ; in fact, the whole range of the 
Falls themselves, and the world of raging waters around 
them, are seen frmn this commantling jioint of vie-w. 

* The Terrapin Tower was erected in 1S33 by Judge Porter. 
It was 45 feet in height. Its dark form stood lilce a lone 
sentinel guarding this scene of magnificent desolation. It 
was removed some time ago. 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



SI 



The bridge leading to these rocks is usually wet with 
spray, so that we raust be careful in crossing. In 1852 
a gentleman fell from this bridge, and was carried to the 
edgeof the Fall ; fortunately, liestuck between two rocks, 
and was rescued by two Americans, who threw lines 
towards him, which he fastened round his body, and was 
thus drawn asliore. 

A timber formerly projecting over the dread abyss was 
the usual evening promenade of tlie eccentric Francis 
Abbot. In 1852 two enormous pieces of the precipice 
here, reaching from the top to the bottom, broke off, and 
fell with a crash like thunder. 

While gazing at the sublime sight here, and taking in 
at a single sweep the whole scene of the glorious Falls of 
Niagara, let us pause awhile and reflect upon the sad 
fate of 

FRANCIS ABBOT, 

THE HERMIT OF THE FALLS. 

In the month of June 1829, a tall, gentlemanly, but 
haggard-looking young man, made liis appearance at the 
village of the Falls. He brought with him a large port- 
folio, and several books and musical instruments. For a 
few weeks he paid daily and nightly vwits to the most, 
(17) 



interesting points of Niagara, and at length became so 
fascinated with the beauty and sublimity of the scene, 
that he resolved to take up his abode there altogether ! 
No one knew whence the young stranger came. Those 
who conversed with him asserted that he was talented, 
and engaging in his manners and address ; but he waa 
not communicative, and shunned the company of man. 
At the end of a few weeks he applied for permission to 
build for himself a cottage on one of the Three Sisters ; 
but circumstances preventing this, he took up his resi- 
dence in an old cottage on Goat Island. Here the young 
hermit spent his days and nights in solitary contempla- 
tion of the great cataract ; and when winter came, the 
dwellers on the mainland saw the twinkle of his wood 
fire, and listened wonderingly to the sweet tones of music 
that floated over the troubled waters and mingled with 
the thunder of tlie Falls. 

This wonderful recluse seemed never to rest. At all 
hours of the day and night he might be seen wandering 
round the object of his adoration. Not cuntent with 
gazing at the rapids, he regularly bathed in the turbulent 
waters; and the bathing-place of Francis Abbot is still 
pointed out to visitors. At the Terrapin Bridge there 



22 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



is a single beam of timber which projected its tremulous 
end about ten feet over the roaring flood. Along this 
the hermit was in the habit of walking. He did so 
without the smallest sign of fear — with a firm, bold step, 
proceeding to the very end, turning on his heel and walk- 
ing back again. One day in June 1831 he went to bathe in 
the river below the Falls. Not long afterwards his clothes 
were found still lying on the bank, but Francis Abbot 
fras gone. The waters which he had so recklessly dared 
Aad claimed him as their own at last. His body was 
found ten days afterwards, at the mouth of the river, 
whence it was conveyed to Niagara and buried close to 
the thundering Fall he loved so well. 

Keturning to Biddle's Stairs, let us descend, and, tak- 
ing the road to the left, go and view the 

HORSE-SHOE FALL FROM BELOW GOAT ISLAND. 

The sight is terrific. The frowning cliff seems about 
to fall on us, and we are stunned by the roar of the 
water as it falls headlong on the broken rocks, bursts 
into white foam, and reascendsin clouds of spray. Ter- 
rapin Bridge, now diminished by distance, seems about 
to be swept over the Fall, above the edge of which we 
(17) 



see the trees of Canada. Portions of the rock fall here 
occasionally, so that the passage is not altogether unat- 
tended with danger. 

Returning to the foot of the stairs, we follow the road 
to the right until we reach the famous 

CAVE OF THE WINDS. 

It is situated at the foot of the rock between Goat and 
Luna Islands, and is considered by some to be one of the 
finest and most wonderful sights on the American side. 
Here it is necessary to put on waterproof dresses and 
obtain a guide, both of which are at all times at our 
command. The cave has been formed by the action of 
the water on the soft substratum of the precipice, which 
has been washed away and the limestone rock left arch- 
ing overhead 30 feet beyond the base. In front the trans- 
parent Falls form a beautiful curtain. 

In consequence of the tremendous pressure on the at- 
mosphere, this cave is filled with perpetual storms, and the 
war of conflicting elements is quite chaotic. A beautiful 
rainbow, quite circular in form, quivers amid the driving 
spray when the sun shines. The cave is 100 feet wide, 130 
feet high, and upwards of 30 feet deep. Along the floor 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



23 



of this remarkable cavern the spray is hurled with con- 
siderable violence, so that it strikes the walls and curls 
upwards along the roof, thus causing the rough turmoil 
which has procured for this place its title of the Cave of 
the Winds. 

It is much visited by ladies as well as gentlemen ; and 
a neat building has been erected on the top of the high 
bank at the approach to Biddle's Stairs, which is divided 
into dressing-rooms for persons visiting the cave. 

HEAD OF GOAT ISLAND. 

The road runs quite round it. Turning to the right, 
in the direction of Terrapin Bridge, we observe that the 
rock is wearing away fast here. In 1843 an enormous 
mass fell from the precipice with a tremendous crash, 
and the rock lies near the foot of the stairs. 

Passing on along the edge of the rapids, we come to 
tke Three Sisters (already described) ; and here, between 
Moss Island and the shore, is a small but beautiful Fall, 
named the Eermit's Cascade. Hither the unfortunate 
Abbot was wont to repair daily to enjoy a shower-bath 
of Nature's own constructing. Proceeding onward, we 
reach the head of Iris Island, and the cottage in which 
U7) 



Abbot lived before removing to his last residence, at 
Point View. 

In June of 1854, Mr. Kobinson performed a daring 
feat here. A sand-scow, or flat-bottomed barge, haviug 
broken loose from its moorings, lodged on the rocks near 
the head of the island. There was property on board, 
which Mr. Robinson oflFered to save. Embarking with 
his son in a skiflf, he shot out into the rapid, and was 
carried with terrible swiftness down towards the scow, 
upon which the son sprang as they flew past, and very 
cleverly fastened the skiff to it. Having obtained the 
goods for which they ran so great risk, the fearless pair 
pushed off once more, and flew like an arrow on the 
surging billows towards the Three Sisters. Every one 
thought their doom was sealed, for they were flying 
towards the small cascade, to go over which would have 
been certain death. But on its very verge they swept 
adroitly into an eddy, and succeeded in gaining the 
second Sister. Here they carried their skifl" to the foot 
of the island, where they launched it, and, plying their 
oars with vigour, made a bold sweep down the rapids, 
and gained the shore of Goat Island in safety. 

The view from the head of Goat Island is very £ne. 



24 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



the wild river and its environs being seen for a consider- 
able distance. Kavy Island, celebrated in the history of 
Border warfare; the site of old Fort Schlosser on the 
American side ; the town of Chippewa on the Canada 
shore; Grand Island, &e.,are all visible from this point. 
As we gaze at the wild rapid, we wonder at the hardihood 
of those who ventured to descend to the spot on which 
we now stand before the bridge was built. Yet this 
was occasionally done, at much risk, in Indian canoes. 
It is said that any one who falls into the rapids a mile 
above the Falls is hurried to almost certain destruc- 
tion; and there are many melancholy instances of the 
kind. 

A few years ago an Indian attempted, while in a state 
of partial intoxication, to cross tlie river in his canoe. 
He was drawn into the rapids, and, despite his utmost 
efforts, failed to reach the shore. Knowing that his 
doom was iixed, he took a draught of spirits, and then, 
lying down at full length in the canoe, was hurled over 
the Falls into eternity ! 

In proceeding down the island we pass a spot where 
there are several graves, out of which human remains 
have been dug. They were found in a sitting position, 

in) ' ■ 



and it is supposed they were those of the ancient Indian 
warriors who first owned the land around the Falls. 

NIAGARA IN WINTER. 

In all its phases this wondrous cataract is sublime; but 
in winter, when its dark-green waters contrast with the 
pure white snow, and its frosty vapour spouts up into 
the chill atmosphere from a perfect chaos of ice and foam, 
there is a perfection of savage grandeur about it which 
cannot be realized in the green months of summer. 

At this season Ice is the ruling genius of the spot. 
The sjiray which bursts from the thundering cataract 
encrusts every object with a coat of purest dazzling 
white. The trees bend gracefully under its weight, as 
if in silent homage to the Spirit of the Falls. Every 
twig is covered, every bough is laden ; and those parts 
of the rocks and trees on which the delicate frost-work 
will not lie, stand out in bold contrast. At the foot of 
the Falls block rises on block in wild confusion, and the 
cold, dismal-looking water hurries its green floods over 
the brink, and roars hoarsely as it rushes into the vortex 
of dazzling white below. The trees on Goat Island seem 
partially buried ; the bushes around have almost disap< 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



25 



peared; tbe houses seem to sink under their ponderous 
coverings of white; every rail is edged with it, every 
point and pinnacle is capped with it. 

When the sun shines, all becomes radiant with glitter- 
ing gems ; and the mind is almost overwhelmed with the 
combined eflfects of excessive brilliancy and excessive 
grandeur. But such a scene cannot be described. 

" Prom age to age — in winter's frost, or summer's sultry 

beam, 
By day, by night, without a pause — thy waves with loud 

acclaim. 
In ceaseless sounds, have still proclaimed the great Eternal's 

name." 

Our view is taken from the Canadian side, a short 
distance above Prospect House. 

During the winter immense masses of ice descend the 
river from Lake Erie, and form an Ice Bridge between the 
Falls and New Iris Bridge. Hundreds of foot passen- 
gers cross this bridge during the months of February and 
March. 

NIAGARA BY MOONLIGHT. 

It were vain to attempt a description of this magical 
scene. Every one knows the peculiar softness and the 
fl7) 



sweet influence of moonlight shed over a lovely scene. 
Let not the traveller fail to visit Goat Island when the 
moon shines high and clear, and view Niagara by her 
pale, mysterious light. 

LEGEND OF THE WHITE CANOE. 

In days of old, long before the deep solitudes of the 
West were disturbed by white men, it was the custom of 
the Indian warriors of the forest to assemble at the 
Great Cataract and offer a human sacrifice to the Spirit 
of the Falls. The offering consisted of a white canoe 
full of ripe fruits and blooming flowers ; which was 
paddled over the terrible cliff by the fairest girl of the 
tribe who had just arrived at the age of womanhood. 
It was counted an honour by the tribe to whose lot it 
fell to make the costly sacrifice; and even the doomed 
maiden deemed it a high compliment to be selected to 
guide the white canoe over the Falls. But in the stoical 
heart of the red man there are tender feelings which 
cannot be subdued, and cords which snap if strained too 
roughly. 

The only daughter of a chief of the Seneca Indians was 
chosen as a sacrificial offering to the Spirit of Niagara. 



26 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



Her mother had been slain by a hostile tribe. Her 
father was the bravest among the warriors, and his stern 
brow seldom relaxed save to his blooming child, who was 
now the only joy to which he clung on earth. When the 
lot fell on his fair child, no symptom of feeling crossed 
his countenance. In the pride of Indian endurance he 
crushed down the feelings that tore his bosom, and no 
tear trembled in his dark eye as the preparations for the 
sacrifice went forward. At length the day arrived ; it 
faded into night as the savage festivities and rejoicing 
proceeded ; then the moon arose and silvered the cloud of 
mist that rose from out the turmoil of Niagara, And now 
the white canoe, laden with its precious freight, glided 
from the bank and swept out into the dread rapid from 
which escape is hopeless. The young girl calmly steered 
her tiny bark towards the centre of the stream, while 
frantic yells and shouts arose from the forest. Suddenly 
another white canoe shot forth upon the stream, and, 
under the powerful impulse of the Seneca chief, fiew like 
an arrow to destruction. It overtook the first ; the eyes 
of father and child met in one last gaze of love, and 
then they plunged together over the thundering cataract 
into eternity ! 
(17) 



OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 
OF THE FALLS. 

The Falls of Niagara will doubtless occupy nearly all 
the time and engross all the interest of visitors; never- 
theless, there are several objects in the vicinity which are 
worthy of special attention. In enumerating these, we 
will adopt the plan of beginning at the Cataract and 
descending to Lake Ontario ; afterwards we will describe 
the river from Lake Erie to the Falls. The first object 
of interest below the Cataract is 

THE NIAGARA SUSPENSION BRIDGE, 

which spans the river about two miles below the Falls. 
We may mention, in passing, that there are two caves, 
Catlin's Cave and the Giant's Cave, between the Bridge 
and the Falls, on the American side ; and Bender's Cave 
on the Canada side. They are, however, hardly worthy 
of notice. 

The Suspension Bridge is a noble and stupendous 
structure. It is the work of Mr. John A. Roebling of 
Trenton, New Jersey, and was begun in 1852. Formerly 
the bridge here was of much smaller dimensions. It was 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



27 



begun in 18^9 by Mr. Charles Elliot, who first crossed it 
in an iron basket, slung under a single cable of iron wire. 
Afterwards many people crossed in this way, being let 
down the incline and drawn up on the opposite side by a 
windlass. While six workmen were employed on the 
footpath of this bridge, a terrific gale burst upon them, 
tore the planks away, and left four of their number 
clinging to two thin wires, which swung fearfully to and 
fro, while the whirling rapids raged beneath them. The 
other two escaped on fragments of board to the shore. A 
brave comrade descended in the basket, during a lull in 
the gale, and by means of a ladder rescued his companions 
from their awful position. The basket is still to be seen 
on the Canada side. 

The present bridge is of enormous strength, and forms 
a communication between Canada and the States, over 
which the carriages of the Great Western and the New 
York Central Railroads, and cars of every description, 
run without causing much vibration. The cost of its 
construction was $500,000; and steam carriages first 
crossed it on the 8th March 1855. The road for carriages 
is suspended 28 feet below the railway line. 

The following statistics of this enormous bridge will be 
(17) 



interesting: — The height of the towers on the American 
side is 88 feet; those on the Canada side are 78 feet high. 
Length of bridge is 800 feet; width, 24 feet; height 
above the river, 250 feet. There are four enormous wire 
cables of about 10 inches diameter, which contain about 
4000 miles of wire ; and the ultimate capacity of the four 
cables is about 12,400 tons. The total weight of the 
bridge is 800 tons; and it combines, in an eminent de- 
gree, strength with elegance of structure. Our engrav- 
ing is from a photograph. 

NEW SUSPENSION BRIDGE AT NIAGARA FALLS. 

The New Suspension Bridge over the Niagara Rivei 
is located in full view of the Great Cataract, and takes 
rank with any similar structure in the world for the 
engineering skill and commercial enterprise exhibited 
in its construction. It is designed more especially for 
foot passengers and light carriages, and will be found 
eminently serviceable in facilitating the sight-seeing 
which attracts such throngs of visitors to the Falls at 
all seasons, but chiefly during the summer and the two 
first months of autumn. 

Heretofore the means of access to the Canada side 



28 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



from the village of Niagara Falls, ia the State of New 
York, has been by conveyance in hacks across the 
Kailroad Bridge two miles below, involving a long and 
somewhat expensive ride. The New Bridge offers a 
passage from the American to the opposite shore in 
a walk of ten minutes from the principal hotels, with 
an opportunity for views of the Falls and the surround- 
ing scenery of the most wonderful and charming descrip- 
tion. 

The elements of this new and splendid work may be 
gathered from the following details : — 

The bridge is supported upon timber towers, having a 
quadrilateral base of 28 feet, and converging to a square 
of 4 feet at the top, firmly bolted and braced, and stand- 
ing upon the solid rock. The American tower is 100 feet 
in height ; the Canadian, 105. The space from centre 
to centre of the towers measures 1268 feet 4 inches. It 
is 1190 feet from one wall of the river to the other. The 
suspended roadway is 1240 feet in length. The distance 
between the anchorages is 1828 feet ; and from one anchor 
to the other, 1888 feet. This shows it to be the longest 
suspension bridge in the world. The elevation of the 
bridge at the centre above the surfkce of the Niagara 
(17) 



River is from 175 to 190 feet, according to the general 
level of the lakes; the depth of water in the channel 
being 250 feet. 

The two cables from which the bridge is suspended 
have an extreme length, as already stated, of nearly 1900 
feet. They are composed of wire ropes, seven in number, 
each rope consisting of seven strands, and embracing 
133 No. 9 wires. The cables thus consist of 931 wires. 
The ropes weigh 54 pounds per furlong of 6 feet. The 
cables are securely embedded at the extremities — on the 
American side 18 feet below the surface in heavy masonry, 
and on the other side in an excavation quarried out of the 
solid rock. Each of the ropes is capable of sustaining a 
weight of 120 tons, and their united strength is equal to 
1680 tons. The over-floor stays, 48 in number, also 
passing over the towers and fastened in the common 
anchorages, will sustain an additional weight of 1320 
tons. The combined strength of the cables and stays is 
thus found to be equal to the support of a load of 3000 
tons, or 6,000,000 pounds. The weight of the bridge 
and its appurtenances is estimated at 250 tons — less than 
one-twelfth of the sustaining power depending from the 
towers ; 3000 people may be at once distributed over the 



FALLS OF NIAGARA, 



29 



bridge, without iu the slightest degree affecting its sup- 
porting capability. 

The roadway of this bridge is composed of two stringers 
or chords, 10 feet apart, upon which are laid the cross 
ties, or needle-beams, 5 feet apart. The chords are 
further strengthened by channel bars of iron running the 
whole length on the under side, and so attached as to 
form a continuous plate. In addition, a stiff railing, 
5 feet high, is erected at the sides, and so bolted to the 
chords and floor-beams as to serve as a protection against 
casualties, as well as to resist any strain from the wind. 
The flooring consists of a double course of Norway 
pine, each an inch and a half thick. The roadway is 
10 feet in width ; sufficient to admit of the transit of 
foot passengers without obstruction from the passage of 
carriages in one direction — the latter alternating from 
each side of the river at periods of fifteen minutes. 

A very fine view of the bridge — its cables, stays, nine 
hundred suspenders and suspender rods, and lofty 
towers — will be afforded from points of observation below, 
on the American side ; and above, on the Canadian. Its 
great length, symmetrical form, graceful curve, and obvi- 
ous strength, cannot fail to strike every beholder with 
(17) 



equal surprise and pleasure. Whilst this structure has 
increased the facilities for the inspection and study of the 
great natural wonders displayed here in such grandeur 
and magnificence, it is of itself an object of curious in- 
terest, and adds still another to the attractions which 
fill the minds of all observers with admiration. 

Tolls.— 50 cents for two-horse carriages, including the 
driver ; 35 cents for one-horse carriage; 25 cents for each 
passenger in carriage or on foot. 

THE ELEVATOR. 

Since the completion of the bridge proper, the most 
desirable improvement made is the construction of an 
Elevator at the Canada terminus, whereby the visitor is 
permitted the best possible view of the great cataract. 
In the base of the structure, which now comprehends the 
Canadian towers on a level with the floor of the bridge, 
on the right-hand side, is the entrance to the stairway 
leading to the top of the towers. On the left is the 
elevator entrance ; and adjoining this the directors' room 
and the general ticket-office. Ninety-eight feet from the 
floor of the bridge beneath is the upper elevator landing 
—a room 20 feet wide and 50 feet ia length, wholly en- 



30 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



closed, and painted in imitation of the costly woods, with 
plate-glass windows around the entire room. Above this 
is a promenade deck of the same dimensions, surrounded 
by a massive railing ; and finally a handsome cupola and 
flag-staff reaches to the highest summit. The elevator 
landing and the promenade deck are amply supplied with 
chairs, and tourists will find no spot which at the same 
time affords so comfortable and so magnificent and com- 
prehensive a view of Niagara and its surroundings as can 
be obtained from this point. The elevator which is in 
use is one of Otis' Patent Safety Hotel elevators. The 
car, which ascends and descends a distance of one hun- 
dred feet, is furnished with cut-glass windows, and 
panelled sides finished with veneering and gilt work, and 
altogether presents a very inviting appearance. The 
mechanical provisions made for safety are the best pos- 
sible to devise. In case the starting and stopping rope 
inside the car should by any means become broken or 
disarranged, the car is immediately stopped by an auto- 
matic brake attached to the drum at the lower end of the 
car, at the same time cutting off the supply of steam. 
If from any cause the speed of the car should become too 
great, by the admission of too much steam, or by the 
(17) 



breaking of a rope, the governor attached to the large 
drum at the top will tip a lever and throw on an im- 
mense brake, which will gradually check the speed of the 
car, and finally bring it to a stand-still. As an additional 
precaution, there are attached two wire ropes, each in- 
dependent of the other, and amply sufBoient to carry the 
car and its load. 

The engine which controls the car is situated im- 
mediately under the lower landing of the elevator. The 
steam boiler is situated in a very neat brick building to 
the immediate left of the towers. Steam is communi- 
cated to the engine by means of a long pipe connecting 
with the boiler, passing through the masonry at the base 
of the towers. Connected with the engine is a fire pump, 
supplied with 300 feet of hose, capable of throwing two 
streams through inch nozzles to the top of the structure. 
Taken all in all, the elevator is a most complete appar- 
atus, both for service and safety. The roadway between 
the towers will be arched over, the stone columns for the 
support of the arches having been already built. 

LUNDY'S LANE BATTLE-GROUND 

is about a mile and a half from the Falls, near to Clifton 



FALLS OF NIAGARA- 



31 



House. This great battle between the Americans and 
the British was fought on the 25th July 1814. The 
number of killed and wounded on both sides was about 
equal, and both parties, as a matter of course, claim the 
victory ! 

Lrummondville, in the immediate vicinity, is named 
after General Drummond, then commander of the British 
forces. 

Niagara City stands on either side of the Suspension 
Bridge, but it is not as yet deserving of the title of a 
city. 

THE WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS. 

These rapids occur at about two miles from the Fallsj 
on the American side ; and whether viewed from the 
lofty banks or from the water's edge, the sight and the 
sound alike baffle description. And no marvel. For at 
this part, which is only about three hundred feet wide, 
the united waters of Lakes Superior, Michigan, St. Clair, 
and Erie, thunder along at the rate of twenty-seven miles 
an hour, tossing up breakers to the height of thirty or 
forty feet. According to Sir Charles Lyell, fully fifteen 
hundred million cubic feet of water rush through this 
(17) 



gorge every minute ! The scene is altogether grand and 
solemnizing. 

THE WHIRLPOOL. 

About three miles below the Falls the river takes an 
abrupt turn, and shoots with great violence against the 
clifif on the Canada side, forming what is called the 
Whirlpool. The scenery around this caldron is exceed- 
ingly wild. 

A short distance further on are the Mineral Springs, 
sometimes called the Belle Vue Fountain. 

Less than half a mile further down the river, on the 
American side, is 

THE DEVIL'S HOLE, 

a terribly gloomy and savage chasm in the bank of the 
river, between one and two hundred feet deep. Over- 
hanging this dark cavern is a perpendicular precipice, 
from the top of which falls a small stream named The 
Bloody Run. The stream obtained its name from the 
following tragical incident :— 

During the French war in 1763, a detachment of Bri- 
tish soldiers (consisting of, some say one hundred, some 



32 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



fifty men) was forwarded with a large supply of provi- 
sions from Fort Niagara to Fort ScUosser. The Seneca 
Indians, then in the pay of the French, resolved to lay 
an ambuscade for them, and chose this dark spot for 
their enterprise. The savages, who were numerous, 
scattered themselves along the hill-sides, and lay con- 
cealed among the bushes until the British came up and 
had passed the precipice ; then, uttering a terrific yell, 
they descended like a whirlwind, and, before the soldiers 
had time to form, poured into their confused ranks a 
withering volley of bullets. The little stream ran red 
with blood, and the whole party — soldiers, waggons, 
horses, and drivers — were hurled over the cliff into the 
yawning gulf below, and dashed to pieces on the rocks. 
Only two escaped to tell the tale : the one a soldier, who 
returned during the night to Fort Niagara; the other a 
Mr. Stedman, who dashed his horse through the ranks 
of his enemies, and escaped amid a shower of bullets. 

BROCK'S MONUMENT 

stands on the Queenston Heights, Canada side, just 
above the village of that name. This monument was 
raised in commemoration of the British general, Sir 
(17) 



Isaac Brock, who fell in the sanguinary action fought on 
this spot on the 13th October 1812. His remains, and 
those of his aid-de-camp, Colonel John M'Donald, who 
died of wounds received in the same battle, are buried 
here. 

The first monument was completed in 1826, and was 
blown up in 1840 by a person named Lett, who was 
afterwards imprisoned for this dastardly act. The pres- 
ent handsome shaft was erected in 1853. Its height is 
185 feet ; the base is 40 feet square by 30 feet high ; the 
shaft is of freestone, fluted, 75 feet high and 30 feet in 
circumference, surmounted by a Corinthian capital, on 
which stands a statue of the gallant general. 

The view from this monument is most gorgeous. The 
eye wanders with untiring delight over the richest 
imaginable scene of woodland and water. Just below is 
the village of Queenston, and on the opposite shore is 
Lewiston. In the midst flows the now tranquil River 
Niagara — calm and majestic in its recovered serenity. 
In the far distance, on either side, stretches the richly- 
wooded landscape, speckled with villas and cottages. At 
the mouth of the river are the towns of Niagara on the 
Canadian side, and Youngston on the American. Its 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



33 



entrance is guarded on the latter side by Fort Niagara, 
and on the former by Fort Massasauga. The whole view 
is terminated by the magnificent sheet of Lake Ontario, 
which stretches away like a flood of light to the horizon. 

QUEENSTON 
is a small picturesque town, and worthy of notice chiefly 
on account of the memorable battle that took place on the 
neighbouring heights. 

LEWISTON. 
just opposite Queenston, is a beautifully situated town, 
about seven miles from the Falls. It is a place of some 
importance, and stands at the head of the navigation on 
the river : it contains several excellent hotels and public 
buildings. The Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Lewiston 
Railroad Terminus, is here. There is a village of Tus- 
carora Indians three miles from this. Lewiston was 
destroyed by the British in 1813, and rebuilt at the 
termination of the war. 

NIAGARA TOWN 
stands on the Canada shore, opposite Youngston, on the 
site of Newark, which was burned in 1813 by General 

(17) 



M'Clure. Its prosperity has been injured somewhat by 
the Welland Canal. A short distance above the town 
are the remains oi Fort George, which was taken by the 
Americans in 1813, afterwards destroyed by the British, 
and left in ruins. 

Fort Niagara, on the American side, has many his- 
torical associations, which we have not space to touch 
upon. The English General Piideaux fell here in the 
battle of 24th July, 1759, and the French garrison after- 
wards surrendered to Sir William Johnson. 

Fort Massasauga, at the mouth of the river, opposit? 
Fort Niagara, is a little below the town of Niagara, and 
is garrisoned by British soldiers. 

NIAGARA RIVER ABOVE THE FALLS. 

Having now traced this noble river from the Falls to 
its mouth, let us proceed to its source at Lake Erie, and 
give it a rapid glance as we follow its course to the Great 
Cataract. 

Buffalo, at its commencement, stands guard at the 
outlet of Lake Erie. This is a great commercial city, 
from which trains leave daily for all parts of the States 
and Canada. Railway direct to the Falls, which are dis- 



34 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



tant about 22 miles. The terminus of this railway is at 
Lewiston, and it connects with the Great Western Rail- 
way of Canada at the Suspension Bridge. Just opposite 
is old Fort Erie, belonging to the British. 

Black Rock, now part of Buffalo, once rivalled that 
city in importance. Here a steam-ferry crosses over to 
Waterloo, a vUIage on the Canada shore. 

Tonawanda is 12 miles from Buffalo, at the widest 
part of Niagara River. 

Grand Island, on which is a little hamlet named 
White Haven, divides the river into two branches. 

Fort Schlosser is 9 miles further down the river, on the 
American side. It was at the old landing here that the 
burning of the Caroline took place, during the Canadian 
rebellion of 1837. The insurgents had taken up a posi- 
tion on Navy Island, and the Caroline steamer was 
charged by the British with carrying provisions to the 
rebels. The vessel was therefore seized by Colonel 
M'Nabb, cut loose from her moorings, set on fire, and 
sent, like a flaming meteor, down the wild rapids and 
over the Falls of Niagara. There was no one on boai-d 
when this vessel took her awful leap into the roaring 
gulf. 

(17) 



Opposite Schlosser is the village of Chippewa (2^ miles 
above the Falls), from which a railway runs to Qaeen- 
ston and the mouth of the river. Steamers ply between 
Buffalo and this village, below which vessels dare not 
venture. 

THE ISLANDS 

above the rapids are very numerous. Indeed, the river 
is studded with them, from Lake Erie all the way down 
to the Falls. There are 37 of them, if we may be per- 
mitted to count those that are little more than large 
rocks. Grand Island is the largest, being 12 miles long 
and 7 broad. It divides the stream into two branches. 
Navy Island is just below it. This island was the re: 
sort of the rebel leaders in 1837. It has an area of 304 
acres. 

Our space forbids further notice of these islands, which 
are exquisitely beautiful. Some are large, and others 
are small; some lie in quiet water, clearly reflected in 
the surrounding mirror; while others stand in the midst 
of the raging current, looking black in the white turmoil 
of surrounding foam, and seeming as if they would fain 
check the angry waters in their headlong rush towards 
the Falls. ■ ■ 



FALLS OF NIAGARA. 



35 



There is a fascination about this mighty cataract 
which seems to chain us to the spot, and, when we seek 
to leave it, draws us irresistibly back again. Even in 
describing it, however inadequately the task may be 
accomplished, we are loath to lay down the pen and tear 
ourselves away. The Almighty has invested Niagara 



with a power which none can resist ; and those who gaze 
upon it for the first time have a new era in their exist- 
ence opened up— new thoughts and impressions stamped 
indelibly on their hearts, which will haunt them in after- 
years, and linger on their memories till time shall be swal- 
lowed up in eternity. 




(17) 



THB THREE SISTERS. 



GEOLOGY OF NIAGARA. 



The geological features of the district around Niagara are 
very remarkable, and the Palls afford a fine example of the 
power of water to form an excavation of great depth and con- 
siderable length in the solid rock. The country over which 
tlie river flows is a flat table-land, elevated about 330 feet 
above Lake Ontario. Lake Erie, situated in a depression of 
this platform, is about 36 miles distant from Ontario, lying 
to the south-west. This table-land extends towards Queen- 
ston, where it terminates suddenly in an abrupt line of cliff, 
or escarpment, facing towards the north. The land then con- 
tinues on a lower level to Lake Ontario. 

The descent of the River Niagara — which, let it be borne 
in remembrance, flows northward — is only about fifteen feet 
in the first fifteen miles from Lake Erie, and the country 
around is almost on a level with the river's banks. At this 
part the Niagara varies from one to three miles in width, has 
a tranquil current, and is lake-like in appearance, being in- 
terspersed with low, wooded islands. At the head of the 
rapids it assumes a totally different appearance, and de- 
scends about fifty feet in less than a mile, over an uneven bed 

{17j 



of limestone, and, after being divided into two sheets by Goat 
Island, plunges down about 164 feet perpendicularly at the 
Falls. Just below the Falls the river narrows abruptly, and 
flows rapidly through a deep gorge, varying from 200 to 400 
yards wide, and 300 feet deep. This gorge, or chasm, ex- 
tends from the FaUs to the escarpment above referred to, 
near Queenston, a distance of seven miles ; in the course of 
which the river descends 100 feet, and then emerges on the 
low, level land lying between the Queenston Heights and Lake 
Ontario — a further distance of seven miles. The descent 
here is only about four feet altogether, and the flow of the 
river is placid. The chasm is winding in form, and about 
the centre of its course makes a turn nearly at right angles, 
forming the weU-known WhirlpooL 

Such are the various appearances and peculiarities pre- 
sented by the River and Falls of Niagara, the causes of which 
we shall endeavour to explain. 

The escarpment at Queenston, and the sides of the great 
ravine, have enabled us in the most satisfactory manner to 
ascertain the geological formations of the district, and to 



GKOLOGT OF KIAGARA, 



37 



account for the present position of the Falls, as well as to 
form, on good grounds, an opinion as to the probable work- 
ing of this mighty cataract in the future. It has long been 
supposed that the Falls originally plunged over the cliff at 
Queenston, and that they have gradually eaten their way 
back,' a distance of seven miles, to their present position. It 
is further conjectured that they wUl continue to cut their 
way back, in the course of ages, to Lake Erie, and that an 
extensive inundation will be caused by the waters of the lake 
thus set free. Kecent investigation has shown, however, that 
this result is highly improbable, we may almost say impos- 
sible ; that the peculiar quality and position of the strata 
over which the river flows are such, that the Falls will be 
diminished in height as they recede, and their recession be 
altogether checked at a certain point. 

It has been ascertained beyond all doubt that the Falls do 
recede ; but the rate of this retrograde movement is very 
uncertain; and, indeed, we have every reason to believe that 
the rate of recession must of necessity in time past have been 
irregular. The cause of this irregularity becomes apparent 
on considering the formations presented to view at the 
escarpment and in the chasm. Here we find that the strata 
are nearly horizontal, as indeed they are throughout the 
whole region, having a very slight dip towards the south of 
twenty-five feet in a mile. They all consist of different 
members of the Silurian series, and vary considerably in 
thickness and density. In consequence of the slight dip in 
Uie strata above referred to, the different groups of rock crop 
(17) 



out from beneath each other, and thus appear on the surface 
in parallel zones or belts ; and the Falls, in their retrograde 
movement, after cutting through one of these zones, would 
meet with another of a totally different character ; having 
cut through which, a third would succeed, and so on. 

In all probability Niagara originally flowed through a 
shallow valley, similar to that above the Falls, all the way 
across the table-land to the Queenston Heights or escarp- 
ment. On this point Sir C. Lyell writes : "I obtained geo- 
logical evidence of the former existence of an old river-bed, 
which, I have no doubt, indicates the original channel 
through which the waters once flowed from the Falls to 
Queenston, at the height of nearly 300 feet above the bottom 
of the present gorge. The geological monuments alluded to 
consist of patches of sand and gravel forty feet thick, con- 
taining fluviatile shells of the genera Unio, Cyclas, Melania, 
&c., such as now inhabit the waters of the Niagara above the 
Falls. The identity of these fossil species with the recent is 
unquestionable, and these fresh-water deposits occur at the 
edge of the cliffs bounding the ravine, so that they prove the 
former extension of an elevated shallow valley, four miles 
below the Falls— a distinct prolongation of that now occupied 
by the Niagara in the elevated region between Lake Erie and 
the Falls." 

At the escarpment the cataract thundered over a precipice 
twice the height of the present one, to the lower level This 
lower level, as shown by Hall's Keport on the Geology of 
New York, is composed of red shaly sandstone and marl. 



38 



GEOLOGY OF NIAGARA. 



The formations incumbent upon this, exhibited on the face 
of the escarpment, are as follows: 1. Gray quartzose sand- 
stone ; 2. Red shaly sandstone, similar to that of the low- 
level, with thin courses of sandstone near the top ; 3. Gray 
mottled sandstone ; 4. A thin bed of green shale ; 5. Com- 
pact gray limestone ; 6. A thick stratum of soft argiUo-cal- 
careous shale, similar to that which now lies at the base of 
the Falls ; 7. A thick stratum of limestone, compact and 
geodiferous, similar to the litnestone rock which forms the 
upper part of the Falls. This is all that we have presented 
to us in the escarpment ; but we may observe, parentheti- 
cally, that if we proceed backwards towards Lake Erie, we 
cross the zone of limestone, and at the Falls discover another 
stratum of thin-bedded limestone overlapping it, in conse- 
quence of the southerly dip before referred to. Further back 
still we find the Onondaga salt group, which extends, super- 
ficially, almost to Lake Erie, where another limestone forma- 
tion appears. 

Now, had there been no dip in the strata of the table-land 
between Lake Erie and Queenston, it is probable that the 
Falls would have continued to recede regularly, having 
always the same formations to cut through, and the same 
foundation to fall upon and excavate. But, in consequence 
of the gentle inclination of the strata to the south, the surface 
presented to the action of the Falls has continually varied, 
and the process of recession has been as follows : — 

First, the river, rolling over the upper formation of hard 
limestone, to the escarpment, thundered down a height about 
(17) 



double that of the present Falls, and struck upon the red 
shaly sandstone of the plain below. This being soft, was 
rapidly worn away by the action of the water and spray; while 
the more compact rooks above, comparatively unaffected, 
projected over the caldron, and at length fell in masses from 
time to time as the undermining process went on. But as the 
Falls receded, the belt of red sandstone was gradually crossed, 
and the gray quartzose sandstone became the foundation of 
the group, and the recipient of Niagara's tremendous blows. 
This rock is extremely hard ; here, therefore, the retrograde 
movement was probably retarded for ages ; and here, just at 
the point where the Falls intersected this thin stratum of 
quartzose sandstone, the whirlpool is now situated. 

The next formation on which the Falls operated was the 
red shaly sandstone, similar to the first ; which, being soft, 
accelerated the recession. This went on at increased speed 
untU the stratum was cut through, and the third formation 
was reached. Here again an alteration in speed occurred as 
before. The last that has been cut through is the fifth 
stratum, compact gray limestone, on which the cataract now 
faUs. 

The formation now reached, and that on which Niagara is 
operating at the present day, is the soft argillo-calcareous 
shale. It extends from the bottom of the precipice over 
which the water plunges, to nearly half-way up, and is about 
eighty feet thick. Above it lies the compact refractory lime- 
stone, which forms the upper formation at this point. This 
also is about eighty feet thick ; and here we see the process 



GEOLOGT OF ITIAOARA. 



39 



of excavation progressing rapidly. The lower stratum, being 
soft, is disintegrated by the violent action of the water and 
spray, aided in winter by frost ; and portions of the incum- 
bent rock, being thus left unsupported, fall down from time 
to time. The huge masses of undermined limestone that fell 
in the years 1818 and 1828, shook the country, it is said, like 
an earthquake. 

This process is continually altering the appearance of the 
Falls. Sir Charles LyeU, in his geological treatise on this 
region, says: "According to the statement of our guide in 
1841 (Samuel Hooker), an indentation of about forty feet has 
been produced in the middle of the ledge of limestone at the 
lesser Fall since the year 1815, so that it has begun to assume 
the shape of a crescent ; while within the same period the 
Horse-Shoe Fall has been altered so as less to deserve its 
name. Goat Island has lost several acres in area in the last 
four years ; and I have no doubt that this waste neither is, 
nor has been, a mere temporary accident, since I found that 
the same recession was in progress in various other water- 
falls which I visited with Mr. Hall in the State of New 
York." 

The rate at which the Falls now recede is a point of dis- 
pute. Mr. Bakewell calculated that, in the forty years pre- 
ceding 1830, Niagara had been going back at the rate of about 
a yard annually. Sir Charles Lyell, on the otLer hand, is of 
opinion that one foot per ann\uu is a much more probable 
conjecture. As we hav already esplauied, this rapid rate of 
recession has, in all likelihood, not been uniform, but that in 
(17) 



many parts of its course Niagara has remained almost sta- 
tionary for ages. 

That the Falls will ever reach Lake Erie, is rendered ex- 
tremely improbable from the following facts : Owing to the 
formation of the land, they are gradually losing in height, 
and therefore in power, as they retreat. Moreover, we know 
that, in consequence of the southerly dip of the strata, they 
will have cut through the bed of soft shale after travelling 
two mUes further back ; thus the massive limestone which is 
now at the top wiU then be at the bottom of the precipice, 
while, at the same time, the Falls wUl be only half their pres- 
ent height. This latter hypothesis has been advanced by 
Mr. Hall, who, in his survey, has demonstrated that there is 
a diminution of forty feet in the perpendicular height of the 
Falls for every mile that they recede southward : and this 
conclusion is based upon two facts — namely, that the slope 
of the river-channel, in its course northward, is fifteen feet in 
a mile, and that the dip of the strata in an opposite or 
southerly direction is about twenty-five feet in a mUe. 

From this it seems probable that, in the course of between 
ten and eleven thousand years, the Falls of Niagara, having 
the thick and hard limestone at their base, and having 
diminished to half their present height, will be effectually 
retarded in their retrograde progress, if not previously checked 
by the fall of large masses of the rock from the cliff above. 
Should they still recede, however, beyond this point, in the 
course of future ages they will have to intersect entirely 
different strata from that over which thev now fall, and will 



40 



GEOLOGY OF NIAGARA. 



be so. diminished in height as tp be almost lost before reach- 
ing Lake Erie. 

The question as to the origin of the Falls — the manner in 
which they commenced, and the geological period at which 
they first came into existence — is one of great interest ; but 
want of space forbids our discussing that question here. We 
can make but one or two brief remarks in regard to it. 

Sir Charles Lyell is of opinion that originally the whole 
country was beneath the surface of the ocean, at a very remote 
geological period ; that it emerged slowly from the sea, and 
was again submerged at a comparatively modern period, when 
shells then inhabiting the ocean belonged almost without 
exception to species still living in high northern latitudes, 
and some of them in temperate latitudes. The next great 
change was the slow and gradual re-emergence of this country. 

As soon as the table-land between Lakes Erie and Ontario 
emerged, the River Niagara came into existence ; and at the 
same moment there was a cascade of moderate height at 
Queenston, which fell directly into the sea> The cataract 



then commenced its retrograde movement. As the land 
slowly emerged, and the hard beds were exposed, another 
Fall would be formed ; and then probably a third, when the 
quartzose sandstone appeared. The recession of the upper- 
most Fall must have been retarded by the thick limestone 
bed through which it had to cut ; the second Fall, not being 
exposed to the same hindrance, overtook it ; and thus the 
three ultimately came to be joined in one. 

The successive ages that must have rolled on during the 
evolution of these events are beyond the power of the human 
intellect to appreciate, and belong to those " deep things " of 
the great Creator, whose ways are infinitely above our finite 
comprehension. It is roughly calculated that the Falls must 
have taken at least 35,000 years to cut their way from the 
escarpment of Queenston to their present position ; yet this 
period, great though it is in comparison with the years to which 
the annals of the human race are limited, is as nothing when 
compared with the previous ages whose extent is indicated 
by the geological formations in the region around Niagara. 




(17) 




NIAGARA FALLS FROM F; I N T P R S P E C T - A M E R I C A N SIDE. 



c 




AMERICAN FALLS. 




HORSE SHOE FALL. 




WHIRLWIND BRIDGE S ROCK OF AGES - CAVE OF THE WINDS. 




THt WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS - NIAGARA. 




HORSE SHOE FALL FROM COAT ISLAND 




NEW SUSPENSION B R I D G E - N I A G A R A . 




CAST IRON BRIDGES RAPIDS ABOVE THE FALLS. 



i 




THREE SISTERS X GOAT ISLAND FROM CANADA SIDE. 







NIAGARA IN WINTER FROM CANADA SIDE. 



B WL'k'sJi^nument 




NIAGARA RIVER LO K I N C TOWA R OS LAKt ONTARIO. 




RAILWAY SUSPENSION BRIDGE. 



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